Nonbelievers Proof of God?

Christians, it seems, can use any fact whatsoever to “prove” the existence of God. In a letter to the Rocky Mountain News, Brian Stuckey argues that the existence of people who don’t believe in God proves that God exists, as disbelief was “foretold in the Holy Scriptures.” What a great argument! It is essentially in the form, “You disagree with me; therefore, I’m correct.”

Stuckey claims:

It is true that many Americans are “shifting away” from organized religion. Many mainline churches have turned away from the traditional teachings of the church. Polls indicate that religious affiliation dropped from 90 percent in 1990 to 81 percent in 2001.

I wish he would have indicated which polls he’s talking about. However, polls I’ve seen (see, for instance, Bowling Alone) indicate a growth in the more hard-core evangelical lines, and that is the more significant trend.

Paul was a master of the ad hominem, as Stuckey quotes:

As St. Paul wrote, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves . . . Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:1-7).